 By Nicki St George
May 19th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette put together a team of parents who are at home taking care of their children while the province goes through school closures and the shut down of everything other than essential services.
Ashley Worobec and Nicki St. George write regularly on how they are coping. We invite parents to take part in this initiative by adding comments to each Coping with COVID19 & the kids article.
Ashley Worobec is a sports-based chiropractor living a life of fitness, health, and parenthood in Burlington. Nicki St George is a teacher, a recovering cancer patient and a mother working on an MBA
WEEK 9-
This week has been a blur.
Dan was busy working on a deadline for the 9-week project that has been occupying his days and nights and I was back in full-swing at work with a flurry of emails and zoom meetings to attend. The children were often left to their own devices (literally and figuratively). I now have the musical stylings of Molly and Daisy from something called Toy Heroes permanently stuck in my head. My penance for neglecting Beatrix.
 Screen time – determining which level is the challenge. Of course, while I am feeling overwhelmed by feelings of guilt over this, the children see completely oblivious and are happy to have fewer restrictions placed on their device time. My mantra this week has told me that this is all temporary, but I still worry about the longer-term effects of too much screen time and how that will stunt the creativity of my children.
I now separate screen time into the following categories: educational, games, and family TV time. This last category is the cause of some heated debates in our family. Nailed It seems to be the only acceptable compromise. Leo, a fellow night owl, sneaks out of his room every night after bedtime and begs me to watch Community with him – how can I say no? It seems the children are most amenable to compromises when they are breaking their bedtime curfew.
Leo’s bedroom is a library. There are stacks of books everywhere and he has read every one of them. So at night I am faced with the choice of allowing him to use EPIC (an online database with a huge selection of books that he likes), i.e. more screen time, or do I allow him to sneak out and watch TV with me? I know there is a third option, but he is good company and I love laughing with him. Sometimes he goes into Bea’s room and plays dolls with her. She likes playing with him the best.
I still managed to get out for my morning walks every day this week, and we ate dinner together every night as a family, so I am still going to consider this past week a win. I did burn an entire batch of homemade granola, a sign that I was slightly off my mom-game, but my homemade chicken soup and scones will make up for that (I hope). I ordered hand-sewn masks for the family by a local Burlington mother who has been laid off. The idea of leaving my house with the kids while we are all donning face masks fills me with both hope and dread.
 When it is just Nicki and the kids – no such thing as social distancing. I have felt frustrated all week by the lack of clarity around social distancing rules. In other provinces and countries, the citizens are given direction about how to expand their ‘bubbles’ or at least they are aware of when they might be able to start this process. Of my friends, some are being very careful and have not seen their boyfriends in 9 weeks and others are being a lot less careful.
I have reconciled that outdoor visits while maintaining a 2-meter distance is okay; however, the weather this week put the kibosh on any plans that I had to see friends in this way.
 By Joe Gaetan
May 17th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Joe Gaetan is a regular Gazette reader who more often than not gets it right. He can be, has been, a trenchant critic. He is Italian.
“First, I would like to say that this will be the last issue of my reporting on the Covid19 pandemic. Secondly, I recently read an article entitled, “Seniors with Covid19 show unusual symptoms Doctors Say”. The premise of the article is that some seniors experience unusual symptoms, please read it and share as you see fit, https://khn.org/news/seniors-with-covid-19-show-unusual-symptoms-doctors-say/
“ When I first started doing this I did so because I wanted to see how Canada was doing compared to Italy. As time marched on I became interested in what was occurring in South Korea (for obvious reasons) and the USA (because they are our neighbor). And now it is time to move on and I am getting sick and tired of hearing phrases such as “during these difficult times” blah blah.
“This chart shows the average number of new cases per day for the months of March, and April and for May to the 15th. The U.S.A. is currently running at an average of 25,951 new cases per day while S Korea is seeing about 17 new cases per day. Canada is now seeing 1,419 new cases per day on average while Italy is at 1,228. We have a way to go.
 Cases per day, by month, comparing Canada and Italy. “This series of charts and my favorite are the % Daily Change in Cases that tell us if we are winning or losing the battle against Covid19. Canada is within striking distance, but we need to be below 1%.
 Canada’s curve – needs to be brought down to less than 1% “S Korea is the benchmark for this. As you can see S.K was running at a rate of 1.85% back in March. The rest is history and their average % daily change rate for May is .16% down from an average of.32% for April. Canada per the above chart is at an average daily % change rate of 1.65%, so I suspect we may be 45 to 50 days away from where SK is today % wise but with way more cases.
Penny Hersh, a strong face mask advocate, said in a comment: “My concern has been that once things started opening up that residents would not do what they should to protect themselves and others.
“Yesterday, there was a huge lineup for ice cream at La Creme de la Creme on John Street. The lineup outside of the shop snaked all around the street and around the corner. No physical distancing was taking place and no one was wearing a facial mask.
“Friday evening, about 5 or 6 cars of residents( about 15 people) came together in the parking lot across from Emma’s and stood in the parking lot some drinking and all socializing once again no physical distancing or masks.”
The message is getting out to family’s – it doesn’t seem to be getting out to the younger people who seem to think they are immune to the virus. The data does say that this cohort is infected less than other cohorts – but they are being infected. No one has come up with a way to get this message across.
 They are sometimes oblivious to the obvious.  South Korea’s curve – this is where we need to get to.  Joseph A. Gaetan has a BGS degree in applied studies, earned through studies at The University of Waterloo and Athabasca University. He also earned a Province of Ontario Engineering Technology Certificate through Fanshawe College, and for 8 years worked at earning a trade becoming a Journeyman Machinist. He also studied French at the Centre Linguistique du Collège de Jonquière and Italian at Mohawk College. In addition, he has taken online courses through the EDx platform taking courses from Harvard, The University of Queensland, Wellesley and Delft Wageningen, he is currently working at learning 6 languages through Duolingo. His work career includes being a Machinist, a CNC programmer, a business owner, a consultant and the Director of Organizational Development for a Fortune 100 company. All of this thanks to life-long learning.
 By Staff
May 17th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Well – there goes the weekend.
 Conservation Halton advises that the Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry’s Surface Water Monitoring Centre is forecasting an incoming low-pressure system that will bring up to 40 mm of rain over our jurisdiction beginning Sunday afternoon with a chance of thunderstorms leading to an additional 10 to 25 mm locally. An additional 10 to 30 mm is possible on Monday before the system moves out of our jurisdiction.
Soil conditions within the watershed are saturated from recent rainfall meaning that much of the forecasted rain on Sunday and Monday will runoff into our rivers and streams. The combination of increased flows and water levels and slippery and unstable banks will create hazardous conditions close to any rivers, streams, or other water bodies.
Widespread flooding is not anticipated. Our reservoirs are still in range of our seasonal holding levels and have storage capacity available. However, fast flowing water and flooding of low-lying areas and natural floodplains may be expected. Municipalities, emergency services and individual landowners in flood-prone areas should be on alert.
 High water in the creeks and streams Conservation Halton is asking all residents and children to keep a safe distance from all watercourses and structures such as bridges, culverts and dams. Elevated water levels, fast flowing water, and slippery conditions along stream banks continue to make these locations extremely dangerous. Please alert children in your care of these imminent dangers.
Conservation Halton will continue to monitor stream flow and weather conditions and will issue further messages as necessary. This Flood Outlook Statement will be in effect through Thursday May 21, 2019.
 By Staff
May 15th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Covid19 virus has had a devastating impact on the health of people around the word; it has brought the economy of the world to its knees and has spurred scientist from around the world into different ways of tracking the virus, determining how it moves while others spend millions of hours in labs trying to create a vaccine that will inoculate us from its spread.
 The graphics that explain the way the virus works are very good. There are others who have found new innovate ways to tell what has happen and teach something about how this virus works.
CBC recently produced a short piece on the trail the virus too.
You scroll through the presentation and trace the paths the virus took as it mutated several times. Fascinating.
CLICK and take a look.
 By Staff
May 9th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
 Walking a dog? Keep them on a leash They forgot about the woof woofs.
The debate on social distancing was all about people and how far apart we had to stay away from each other.
It took a while – but we got the hang of it.
Apparently we didn’t fully understand that is was not just us – it included man’s best friend. The bylaw enforcement officers saw the problem – it got on to the Emergency Coordination Group, led by the city manager.
That got it onto a Standing committee agenda.
The lead up to the rather minor change is interesting.
It’s wordy and complicated but that is what the Rule of Law is all about. A city council can’t just do what they want – they have to justify it as well
 Council – learning that the rule of law determines what they do. Whereas on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared a worldwide pandemic regarding the Novel Coronavirus 19 (“COVID-19 Pandemic”); and
Whereas on March 17, 2020, the Province of Ontario declared an emergency relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic under the provisions of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.E.9 (“Emergency Management Act”); and
Whereas section 4 of the Emergency Management Act provides that the head of council of a municipality may declare that an emergency exists in the municipality or in any part thereof and may take such action and make such orders as they consider necessary and are not contrary to law to implement the emergency plan of the municipality and to protect property and the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the emergency area; and
Whereas on March 21, 2020 an emergency was declared by the Mayor of the City of Burlington, under the provisions of the Emergency Management Act, relating to the COVID-19 Pandemic; and
Whereas the Provincial Government’s modelling and forecast projects that the State of Emergency will last months and will result in a severe and long-term challenge to the health care system; and
Whereas the Council of the City of Burlington considers the protection of health and safety of the public to be a paramount concern, and has suspended the operations of all City facilities, other than those deemed essential for the welfare of the citizens of the City of Burlington, during the COVID-19 emergency; and
 She ordered that when you walk outside you keep six feet away from everyone else. Dr. Meghani, Medical Officer of Health, Region of Halton Whereas the Medical Officer of Health recommended physical distancing measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including maintaining a distance of at least 2 metres from other individuals who are not members of the same household; and
Whereas The Corporation of the City of Burlington considers it necessary to enact a regulation to support the intent and purpose of the Provincial Orders made under the Emergency Management Act in order to protect property and the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the City of Burlington, by prohibiting certain activities and regulating physical distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency; and
Whereas sections 8, 9 and 11 of the Municipal Act, 2001 authorize the City of Burlington to pass by-laws necessary and desirable for municipal purposes, and in particular, paragraphs 5, 6, and 8 of subsection 11(2) authorize by-laws respecting public assets of the municipality, the economic, social and environmental well-being of City, the health, safety and well-being of persons, the protection of persons and property; and
Whereas section 425 of the Municipal Act, 2001 provides that any person who contravenes any by-law of the municipality is guilty of an offence; and
Whereas on April 6, 2020, Council of The Corporation of the City of Burlington passed By-Law 17-2020, being a By-law to Promote and Regulate Physical Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic State of Emergency;
Whereas an amendment to By-law 17-2020 is required to regulate the physical distancing of animals on Public Property;
Now therefore the Council of the Corporation of the City of Burlington hereby enacts as follows:
 The dogs know what social distancing is. 1. By-law 17-2020 Part 1: Definitions 1 is amended by adding the following definitions:
“Animal” means any member of the animal kingdom other than a human;
“Leash” means a line or for leading or restraining an animal, including a dog, while the animal is being transported from place to place outside of a cage;
“Owns” includes possess, or have control over, or keeps or have care or custody of;
2. By-law 17-2020 is amended by adding the following new Section 7 immediately following Section 6, with all subsequent sections renumbered accordingly:
 On a leash – before the COVId19 period dogs were allowed to run all over the place. Not now. 7. (1) While on public property, every person who owns an animal shall keep the animal on a leash not exceeding 2 metres in length at all times.
(2) While on public property, every person who owns an animal shall ensure that the animal does not come within 2 metres of any other person or animal that does not reside with them in a single household.
3. Subject to the amendments made in this by-law, in all other respects, By-law 17- 2020 is hereby confirmed unchanged.
4. This by-law comes into force on the date of its passing.
City council will be expected to pass this byplay on the 25th day of May, 2020.
By Staff
May 7th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
 All four municipalities in the Region will now have high schools that will offer the International Baccalaureate Programme.
International Baccalaureate (IB) is a worldwide, nonprofit education program founded to give all students the opportunity to receive an education fit for a globalizing world. There are four IB education programs, all of which are intended to develop students’ intellectual, emotional, personal and social skills.
The Halton District School Board announced that Craig Kielburger Secondary School in Milton has received notice that it is now an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School. The IB Diploma is a comprehensive two-year programme that students can take in their last two years of secondary school. The Programme is set to begin for Grade 11 students for the 2020-2021 school year.
Through the programme students take courses that prepare them for university. These courses are content rich and focus on the development of skills that are necessary for post-secondary success. Students will complete an independent research essay and undertake a project that involves community service.
For the past two years, the school has offered an Advanced Learning Programme (ALP) for Grade 9 and 10 students to prepare them for the rigorous two-year IB Diploma Programme in Grade 11 and 12. The IB programme has a focus on developing intercultural awareness. Students will explore the world around them through inquiry, critical thinking and open-mindedness. They will seek to understand different points of view and understand that people with different opinions can also be right.
 Craig Kielburger Secondary School in Milton “We are thrilled about our school’s authorization as an IB World School,” says Jacquie Pece, Principal of Craig Kielburger Secondary School. “The Diploma Programme will provide Milton students with increased learning opportunities that will prepare them well for the challenges of university.”
“We are excited to meet the students’ interests in pursuing the IB Diploma Programme,” says Jacqueline Newton, Superintendent of Milton schools at the HDSB. “The Milton community including Trustees Heather Gerritts and Donna Danielli, school and Board staff continue to be supportive of implementing this program at CKSS.”
Craig Kielburger SS joins a global community of schools committed to developing knowledgeable, caring young people who will be ready to negotiate their futures successfully and make contributions resulting in a more harmonious and peaceful world.
In the Halton District School Board, the following schools are also authorized IB World Schools offering the Diploma Programme: Burlington Central High School in Burlington, Georgetown District High School in Halton Hills, and White Oaks Secondary School in Oakville.
The Gazette has put together a team of parents who are at home taking care of their children while the province goes through school closures and the shut down of everything other than essential services.
Ashley Worobec and Nicki St. George will write regularly on how they are coping. We invite parents to take part in this initiative by adding comments to each Coping with COVID19 & the kids article.
 By Nicki St George
May 7th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
WEEK 7 –
 What you don’t see in this drawing – is what appears at the bottom this piece MONDAY, April 27th
It is my brother’s birthday today and the 5-year anniversary of the day my family arrived in Canada from New Zealand. My husband posts a memory on his Facebook page saying ‘no regrets’ in reference to our decision to move here. I concur; however, lately I have been rather envious of my friends and family in NZ with their low COVID rates and inspirational leader, Jacinda Adern. But mostly I am envious of the fact that their lockdown rules are being relaxed and they are now heading out to the beaches.
TUESDAY, April 28th
The day unfolds as usual. School work in the morning, bake something in the afternoon. I’ve created a list of ‘must dos’ for Beatrix and use screen time as a carrot. My hope is that I won’t have to ask her to get dressed 15 times (at least) every morning or chase her around the house with a hairbrush. But I do not have the discipline for reward charts and she seems to derive no satisfaction from folding down the little ‘to do’ tabs that I had carefully crafted. Still, I think she is getting the message and her behaviour is better this week.
WEDNESDAY, April 29th
As my return to work is approaching, I decide that we need to buy a Chromebook for the children to share. This involves spending a few hours trying to decide between the various models and features. Finally, I find the one and it is at BestBuy in Milton. Dan seems to think that driving to Milton for curbside pickup will be some kind of hardship for me, but I’m actually quite excited at the prospect of a whole hour in the car by myself! And it is glorious…until I get a frantic phone call from Dan because zoom has crashed my computer and Bea was about to start her virtual dance class…
 Chromebook worse for these two – Mom likes it as well. THURSDAY, April 30th
The Chromebook is awesome. It has all the Apps that the kids are familiar with from school and they enjoy taking turns picking songs from Go Noodle and can navigate the device better than I can. The iPad just doesn’t cut it when it comes to google drive. I am starting to feel better about being able to multi-task while homeschooling and working from home.
 Trampoline – constant use Our trampoline, which got taken out of the garage and set up last weekend, has been in constant use. Except for today because it is too cold outside. The kids need some kind of brain break, so we all find something to balance on our heads while we play follow the leader.
Later we play hide and seek. I sometimes wonder if all the grandmas of the world are just shaking their heads at mums like me and my friends.
What do we really have to complain about? They would have spent every day entertaining their kids and loving it. My friend sends me a viral video about how we need to re-examine our lifestyles and what caused us to get into this whole mess in the first place. I couldn’t agree more.
FRIDAY, May 1st
Today is officially my first day back to work. I feel like a fish out of water. When I left work at the end of November for my surgery and cancer treatment classes were in session and nobody had heard of the coronavirus. Now, it is like I am starting a new job. There is post-pandemic jargon to familiarize myself with and a slew of new technologies to get my head around, not to mention the whole zoom meeting culture and etiquette. Camera on or off? Can I just ‘leave meeting’ discretely? My computer, sensing my trepidation, crashes and that signals the end of my workday (at 11:00 am).
 Dan scours the Bulk Food Warehouse for Kashmiri curry powder and cardamom seeds. SATURDAY, May 2nd
We are not given the warm, sunny day that the weather network had promised. Dan spends the day distributing soil and grass seed to our front lawn. I believe this is called ‘over-seeding’. The children have been asking for butter chicken for dinner. Dan and I both like to cook and we make our curries from scratch. So, while Dan scours the Bulk Food Warehouse for Kashmiri curry powder and cardamom seeds, I study Jamie Oliver and Maunika’s FoodTube tutorial. And, well, it’s not an exaggeration to say that I haven’t stopped thinking about that curry ever since.
 Two baby bunnies in there – more to this story for sure SUNDAY, May 3rd
Finally! It’s here. The first day above 20 degrees that we have seen in about 6 months (and it is just the one day because the week ahead is back to single digits again). Leo complains that it is too hot (eyeroll). I get a sunburn. We eat breakfast, lunch and dinner on the back deck.
For the last few weeks, I have been watching a rabbit make a burrow in the planter box which sits on my deck and normally holds my herb garden. Today we find her sitting atop the planter box and upon closer inspection, we notice that she is feeding two little baby bunnies. It’s a nice way to end the week.
By Staff
May 6th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Parks are closed.
The Conservation areas are closed.
People don’t like the closures – but they are part of coping with the COVID19 disease that has brought about the death of thousands.
So we put up with.
 One of the lambs – it has to be fed.  American Kestrel at the Mountsberg Raptor Centre However, there is a problem, Mountsberg is home to more than 60 animals, from hawks, owls and eagles to horses, goats and sheep, a whole bunch of bees and even a couple snakes, to name just a few. Conservation Halton has a dedicated team of staff members who care for the animals, and in return, the animals help to teach school children, summer camp participants and park visitors about conservation and agriculture.
It costs about $200,000 per year to feed and care for the animals at Mountsberg, and because the Conservation Halton Parks do not receive support from municipal, provincial or federal taxes, they depend on entrance fees, membership purchases and other donations to fund these expenses. With the parks closed, due to COVID-19, Conservation Halton does not currently have this revenue, but they do still have mouths to feed.
The Conservation Foundation launched the Mountsberg Animal Food Fund to help feed the animals; they would like you to consider donating on their website: The campaign went live on #GivingTuesdayNow and will remain active through the spring to ensure the animals get the care and support they need.
The full donate web site address is: www.conservationhalton.ca/mountsberg-animal-food-fund.
Conservation Halton is the community based environmental agency that protects, restores and manages the natural resources in its watershed. The organization has staff that includes ecologists, land use planners, engineers, foresters and educators, along with a network of volunteers, who are guided by a Board of Directors comprised of municipally elected and appointed citizens. Conservation Halton is recognized for its stewardship of creeks, forests and Niagara Escarpment lands through science-based programs and services.
The Gazette has put together a team of parents who are at home taking care of their children while the province goes through school closures and the shut down of everything other than essential services.
Ashley Worobec and Nicki St. George will write regularly on how they are coping. We invite parents to take part in this initiative by adding comments to each Coping with COVID19 & the kids article.
 By Ashley Worobec
May 6th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
We have been managing pretty well over the past few weeks. The initial shock and disbelief has eased, and we’re settling in to a new normal. However, with the Covid numbers trending as they are lately, I’ve been closely watching the Premier’s announcements and I’m anticipating that I’ll be back to work by the end of May. Of course that’s just speculation, but four other Provinces have now returned their chiropractors to work so I’m hopeful that Ontario won’t be far behind.
My focus has been at the clinic lately, as we’ve been gathering the necessary PPE, and we’re installing a plexiglass barrier at the front desk to minimize contact for our reception staff. When we are given the go-ahead to return, we will be ready to do so safely.
 Backyard update As far as what this confinement is doing to the family unit, I’d say it’s been really good for us. As soon as this situation unfolded, my main goal became to create a good environment for my kids. I read an opinion piece online that talked about how children will remember this time in history, and it became my goal to ensure that they remember it positively. They won’t remember the stress, the financial implications, the worry; they will remember the time we spent together, the games we played, the bike rides we went on.
I check in with them regularly, to see what some of their highlights are, and we try to add more of those things into our days- we’ve biked to my in-laws for a driveway visit a handful of times (a 9km round-trip), something we had never done in the past. We’ve played board games in the sunshine in our backyard, we’ve put up a “silly walking sign” on our front sidewalk and laughed at passers-by, and I’ve thrown more football passes than I can count.
 Learning the guitar My daughter has been saving her money for many months to purchase a guitar, and it arrived the other day, so she’s been learning to play via online apps and YouTube videos. We’ve painted both kid’s bedroom walls, in colours of their choosing. THESE are the memories we are making. And while my stress is still there, I’m using the lens of my children to guide our days. They understand what’s happening- we’ve been very honest with them and we watch the news together, but we’ve kept the focus on the positive and away from fear.
As far as schoolwork goes, it’s been a manageable amount for us. With me not working, I’m the main teacher, and we spend 1-2 hours in the morning completing their school tasks. Most often, we start our days with a 5km run (myself and the dog running, my husband and kids on bikes or rollerblades), and then we get into schoolwork when we return, which is usually around 9:30 or 10am- that means we’re wrapped up before lunchtime.
 Keeping the intruders away They are missing their friends and their teachers though, and most days they FaceTime their friends as well as my extended family in Alberta. On Monday evenings, we have a group Zoom call with all of my husband’s side of the family, and that’s become a real highlight of the week. We are hopeful that school will resume by September, but we’ve talked to the kids about the possibility that the Fall may look different than usual, so that they’re prepared with that in the back of their minds. As we’ve done all along, it’s one day at a time. Because my husband is a teacher, we’re in a great situation logistically, as he’ll be home with them if schools are still closed, so we don’t have the childcare piece to worry about that many parents do.
In regards to my running, I’m getting in that 5km loop every morning, and while it’s doing nothing to improve my fitness (there are lots of stops/breaks involved!), it’s really helping me to cope mentally. I truly enjoy that time, and when I look back on Covid, those morning family runs will be at the forefront of my memories.
On Sunday mornings, I’ve been getting out for a longer run on my own (usually around 12-15km); in the “normal” world, I would typically run with my training group on Sunday mornings, but these days it’s a solo run, starting around 9:00am rather than 7:00am.
 Worobec starts her day with a run. Rain doesn’t change the schedule; snow didn’t either. I am currently registered for the Chicago marathon in October (I qualified for this race with my marathon time in New York City last November), but I’m anticipating that it will be cancelled, as has been the case with most other races this year. The Chicago organizers have not yet made that decision, but I’m mentally prepared for the email to arrive any day. I always love having a challenge though, so on Saturday, May 9th, I am participating in the virtual Brooklyn Half marathon- essentially it’s just an online way for the running community to come together. It’s a free registration, and the idea is that you complete 21.1km in your neighbourhood, and then upload your results to their website. It’s being organized by the New York Road Runners, the same running club that puts on the NYC marathon, so I was happy to see this come across their e-newsletter.
If anyone else is interested in getting involved, I encourage them to visit the website at https://www.nyrr.org/races/nyrrvirtualbrooklynhalf.
 By Pepper Parr
May 4th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Halton District School Board joins school boards across Ontario in celebrating Education Week from May 4-8, 2020. This year, the HDSB will celebrate Education Week through a different lens each day to focus on the importance of schools, staff, families and the community working together to support the well-being and success of students.
 Students at Bateman high school in a cooking competition with fire fighters – the kids won. “While we may be learning differently right now, Education Week provides an opportunity for us to demonstrate how we are working together and doing our best to keep the continuity of learning in supporting students at the Halton District School Board,” says Stuart Miller, Director of Education for the HDSB.
“Without question, student success and well-being is a partnership among schools, parents/guardians and the community. The current COVID-19 situation exemplifies it more than ever. During Education Week, we celebrate students and staff, and we also want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the support our HDSB families have been providing their children during these many weeks of teacher-led distance learning,” adds Miller.
Monday, May 4 – Emphasizing the #HDSBstillconnected social media campaign to foster support among Halton District School Board staff, students and families during the Ontario school closure. The campaign demonstrates that although we cannot be together right now, we are still connected.
Tuesday, May 5 – Engagement & Achievement: The HDSB will highlight how students engage in their learning, school, and community, and how staff contribute to a collaborative learning environment.
Wednesday, May 6 – Stewardship & Resources: The ways in which students are provided with innovative and creative opportunities and supported through technology and resources within accessible and equitable environments will be explored.
Thursday, May 7 – Equity & Well-Being: Examples will be shared of how the HDSB strives to provide an inclusive and caring learning environment while advancing a culture of respect that supports the
well-being of all students and reflects the changing needs of school communities.
Friday, May 8 – Celebrating Excellence: On the final day of Education Week, the HDSB is celebrating the accomplishments and successes of HDSB students and staff.
The Board is proud to recognize the success of students through its annual Celebration of Student Excellence event on Thursday, May 14. Given the current school closure, this will be a ‘virtual’ event that will start at 7 p.m. Each year, one student per school is honoured for their excellence in academics, athletics, self-improvement, community work, citizenship or student leadership. A link to the ‘livestream’ of the ceremony will be on the homepage of the HDSB website (www.hdsb.ca).
This is what the Halton District School Board has to say about the week during the year that we look at what we have managed to do in educating the students that are going to be tomorrow’s leaders.
Is that all that is going to come out of the world facing the biggest pandemic we have every experienced – and the experience isn’t over yet.
What will we be doing differently this time next year?
 Students answering survey questions about school closings while their parents debate with school board officials in the same room. What will the students take away from this experience?
What will the parents take away from it – along with a deep appreciation for what those teachers do day in and day out?
What will teachers know in a year that they do not know now?
While we struggle to meet the educational needs for a situation we did not see coming our way – there is more to our reaction to the disease than appreciating the students that are being recognized by their schools.
By Pepper Parr
May 3rd, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
It was the first really nice sunny warm day since the decision was made to lock down the province with the Mayor telling anyone with ears to stay home – and when they do go out for some exercise to walk and not stop to talk.
The only way, the public has been told, to put an end to the pandemic is to ensure that the virus is not spread from person to person.
The Regional Public Health unit produces daily reports showing that infections in the Region are rising every day – not by a huge number – but they are rising.
That curve we have been told about is not flattening.
But – sunshine, good weather – what do people do?
 Playground was vacant – surrounded by yellow tape. I drove around the city in the northern part and then down into the waterfront and along the Beachway.
A couple of things were immediately evident. There were more police vehicles on the street; there were a lot of bikers roaring along and hundreds of young people on their bikes.
The vehicular traffic was not really heavy. On the residential streets most driveways had several cars parked.
I didn’t see very much in the way of sidewalk crowding.
 Some people wore masks – which they slipped away from their faces once they were outside the supermarket. Some people wore masks, some didn’t. Did see one couple – she wore nothing – he wore a mask and a shield.
There were children out and about but there weren’t hundreds of them.
People were respecting that six foot rule – for the most part.
 Each of the major supermarket chains has taken their own approach to staking out how they choose to respond to the public concern. Business for this sector is great. Brant and Lakeshore is definitely the pinch point the Mayor has mentioned several times.
Supermarket parking lots, as well as Costco weren’t packed solid but there was a steady flow of traffic in and out.
 Lowville Park – CLOSED  Mt Nemo -CLOSED Parks were all closed. Saw a couple of coffee shops that were opened but you couldn’t sit down.
 A hard sight for those who enjoy a cold one while sitting out on a patio. The Queen’s Head patio was barren – a terrible sight for a drinking man.
 People were reasonable spaced, most people respected the pedestrians only rule. Pedestrian traffic on the Promenade was steady and for the most part well-spaced out.
The message has certainly been heard and there didn’t appear to be a lot of worry from the people we spoke to – tough to have much in the way of a conversation six feet away from someone.
Two weeks from now we will see new numbers from the Public Health Unit and get some idea if our individual behavior is working.
I stood and watch small groups, 10 to 15 people, gather at intersections; some wearing masks other less than a foot away from people who were not wearing a mask.
 This is probably the location that bothers the public health people the most – Brant and Lakeshore – where people cross to get into Spencer Smith Park. City manager Tim Commisso said last week that he shudders when he thinks about what could be going on amongst those small groups of 10 to 15 people.
We will know soon enough.
The Provincial government wants to open things up – give people some breathing room and let some business operations open up.
It is going to be tricky; these are perilous times.
By Pepper Parr
April 29th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Burlington is very good at stepping up to the plate and filling a need.
What caring people have managed to do is create a supply chain that gets food to the Food Bank who in turn deliver it to people who, in some cases, are self-isolating and not able to get out to buy food.
 Robin Bailey does a short web site broadcast most days – keeping donors and those who need food up to date. The Food Bank has exceptional sources and were recently given significant sums to buy food.
Fresh vegetables and eggs are now being delivered to homes. The Food Bank has succeeded in teaching people to call in for food rather than drop by the Food Band to pick it up – which cuts down on people getting too close to each other.
One of the gaps in this food chain is personal toiletries and canned goods.
 If you need a mask – take a couple of cans of food to St Matthews Anglican church on Plains Road in Aldershot and pick up a mask when you leave. St Matthews in Aldershot has stepped into the gap and is collecting toiletries and canned goods.
They have set up a space outside their front door that is protected from weather where people can drop of the things that are needed.
Jim Young, one of the Aldershot volunteers said in a note he sent out to his circle of influence; “Just passing along some information on an Aldershot/Ward 1 initiative to help keep local food banks stocked and operating during these difficult times.
“I know I’ve sent this before but it is an ongoing need and it would be wonderful if ongoing donations could be received.
 “It is a joint effort by St Mathews Anglican Church, Partnering Aldershot and ECoB Ward 1, and is operated by volunteers from each organization.
“The Drive Thru donation is set up to be a safe, no contact, distanced method of giving.
“Please share this information as widely as you can. Think of it as a great way to get out of the house for twenty minutes while supporting a very worthwhile cause, made all the more essential in tough times.”
Connie Price added that the donations on Monday were a little on the short side; she urged people to step up on Wednesday (today) when the boxes are set out in front of the church between noon and 3:00 pm Monday and Wednesday.
By Nicki St George
April 28th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Nicki St George is the mother of two, lives in Aldershot and teaches at a private school in Oakville. She is also a recovering cancer patient.
WEEK 6 – seriously?
As the days are becoming indistinguishable from one another, here are some ups and downs during my time in self-isolation:
The UPS:
• When a box is delivered, and you cannot remember what it could be because you have ordered so much crap over the last 6 weeks.
 Clifford the cat and the kids – in their parents bed. • Clifford the cat – my self-isolation guru.
• When the makers of Candy Crush give the gift of unlimited lives for a whole week!
• Having the time to make homemade hamburger buns and other treats.
• Puzzles – Now that everyone is into doing puzzles, I do not feel like quite as big a nerd.
• No sport on TV = nothing left for my husband and I to fight about.
• Learning a new language while binge watching Money Heist.
• Saying goodbye on Zoom or Houseparty…you just hang up! No more awkward goodbyes at the door.
• Saving money on car insurance because you are no longer driving to work every day.
• Bringing out the patio furniture and setting up the trampoline. It’s starting to feel a little like summer.
• Less laundry…just choose your legging/sweat top combo for the week and you’re good to go.
• The magical hour around 5pm every day when a glass of wine and favourite song provide me with the motivation to dance and cook dinner.
• Discovering a new podcast.
The DOWNS:
• Temperatures in the single digits in April…or worse, snow!
 Results of a parent led art class • The annoying soundtrack of Beatrix’s YouTube videos which have become ambient noise in the house.
• My embarrassingly high score on Candy Crush.
• Where do all the charging cables keep disappearing to?
• Making plans for the summer…
• Google classroom on the iPad: why can’t I just write on the document?
• Sad husband because there is no sport on TV.
• Finding out that schools will remain closed until at least May 31st – SERENITY NOW!
• Doing your tax return – the worst part of being an adult.
• Getting the weekly alert telling me what the average daily screen time was last week…gulp.
• The absurd volume of new passwords to remember for accessing homeschool websites.
• Deciding what PPE to don on the weekly trip to the grocery store – how many times can I reuse this same mask?
• At home haircuts…they’re not everyone’s cup of tea.
• Finding the motivation to do at home workouts and complete assignments for grad school.
• Being interrupted by children asking for TV during a work Zoom call -this was not on the list of pre-approved activities.
• Google Play charging $19.95 to RENT Trolls 2 – how dare they?
• Discarded latex gloves left on the ground: so uncool.
Previous columns:
The idea
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 5
By Pepper Parr
April 27th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
We asked the two women who are providing Gazette readers with an ongoing commentary on how things are going in their households with the schools being closed. The province’s decision to keep the schools closed until the end of May might create situations that will be difficult for many parents.
Ashley Worobec, the Chiropractor who runs long distances when she can find the time, said she “didn’t have much to say – It really doesn’t change anything for us- we were expecting the date to be delayed, which it has been, and we’re prepping ourselves mentally for the possibility that the next extension will end the school year entirely.
 The Worobec family created a mammoth Task list to give the new approach to education some structure. “I do like how they’ve decided to watch and wait instead of just cancelling the school year entirely like some other provinces have, as that’s given us hope instead of looking ahead to months and months without school. At least this way, there’s still a glimmer of hope.”
Ashley’s two children seem to be coping quite well – the task list picture tells part of the story for their household.
Nicki St George said she “finds it frustrating to be stuck at home while the school closure date keeps getting pushed back further and further. It only serves to foster more uncertainty for myself and the kids. We are fortunate to have the time and technology available to facilitate learning from home but many people do not.
 Getting them outdoors where they can burn off some of that energy. “Considering the preliminary data which suggests that school closures will have little impact on the spread of the virus, I think that the harms of keeping schools closed (specifically elementary schools) will likely outweigh the benefits.”
Mixed views.
One of the major issues during the months of short term school strikes was the number of On-line courses students were going to be required to take – with the strikes now settled teachers find themselves delivering every hour of instruction on-line.
Something ironic about how that turned out – teachers will get to learn that some courses can be done very well on-line and some parents might come to the realization that on-line instruction can be very effective in some situations.
The school boards take direction from the province. However, the school boards are the people that are going to have to deal with the disruption in the delivery of an education. They also have to look at the impact of the disruption on the quality of the education they deliver.
Moving from the end of elementary school and on into high school is a major right of passage for students. But what if high school starts with an hour in front of a computer monitor?
That’s an issue that senior school board staff find themselves thinking about.
By Pepper Parr
April 27th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
 Education Minister Stephen Lecce Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced on the weekend that all publicly-funded schools will remain closed until at least May 31, 2020, as part of an effort to keep students, staff and families safe from COVID-19.
The extension was based on expert advice from the Chief Medical Officer of Health and health officials on the COVID-19 Command Table and is part of the government’s ongoing effort to stop the spread of the virus. The advice was to extend school closures for an additional period of time to permit updated modelling and data to inform next steps, given the government’s absolute commitment to safety.
“We will do whatever it takes to keep our students safe,” said Minister Lecce. “The government is taking a careful approach which provides our medical experts the time to review the modelling and make the best decision for the safety of our students and the future of learning.”
The government took immediate action to close schools in Ontario, the first in Canada to do so. The ministry continues to monitor the evolving situation and if necessary, the closure may be extended further to protect the health and safety of Ontario’s school communities.
At the same time the Ontario government is taking steps to ensure learning can continue. In March the province unveiled its Learn at Home portal. It offers all students high-quality resources, featuring made-in-Ontario math and literacy resources, created by Ontario-certified educators, in both English and French. Elementary resources are designed to help young students learn at home with interactive activities that encourage participation through entertaining and stimulating digital content. High school content was designed with a focus on STEM courses and ensures core competencies and skills are reinforced.
 There won’t be a graduation ceremony and no prom either – but depend on the students to come up with something to celebrate leaving high school. “Regardless of what transpires over the coming weeks, Ontario’s students will be able to complete their school year with confidence,” added Minister Lecce. “In particular, for students in their final year, we are removing all impediments to ensure students graduate and pursue post-secondary education.”
In the event that they do reopen, school employees will have access as of May 29, 2020.
The Ministry of Education will move forward to replace the remainder of Professional Activity (PA) days and examination days with instructional time, as well as the introduction of an expanded summer learning program that will focus on credit recovery, supports for vulnerable students, and course upgrading. Boards are to find solutions at the local level in keeping with this direction while upholding collective agreement obligations.
The Minister of Education later said that the next time he makes a public announcement it will be to set out how the balance of the school year will be dealt with.
Later today Premier Doug Ford will unveil the framework for re-opening the province.
The Gazette has put together a team of parents who are at home taking care of their children while the province goes through school closures and the shut down of everything other than essential services.
Ashley Worobec and Nicki St. George will write regularly on how they are coping. We invite parents to take part in this initiative by adding comments to each Coping with COVID19 & the kids article.
 By Ashley Worobec
April 27th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Our mornings have still been a bit more structured and afternoons tend to be more whatever-we-feel-like.
One thing that I’ve found helpful for my Type-A personality, is writing out a list of the next day’s activities/tasks on the whiteboard on our fridge. Mornings almost always begin with a 5k run for myself and my dog, with my husband on the bike beside me, and more often than not, at least one of the kids comes on their bike too.
I haven’t been setting an alarm clock though, and in my “normal” life I’m often up at 4:45 or 5am, and out the door for my runs- these days I’m sleeping until I naturally wake up, which has been closer to 7:30 or 8am!
 Baking is a constant and consistent activity in the Worobec household. I have been thinking about getting up for a sunrise run here and there, as the sunrise is my favourite time of the day, and it would also give me some solitude. I’m an introvert by nature, so I re-charge with alone time, and that’s been much harder to come by lately. Perhaps a sunrise run will happen next week….
After my run, we move onto schoolwork. I’m the one who tends to supervise the kids during their schoolwork, as my husband uses this time to do his own online work with his students (he’s a high school teacher). Depending on the day, this has usually been taking my kids 1-2 hours to complete. My son is in Grade 5 and my daughter is in Grade 2, and they seem to be adapting to e-learning quite well.
Both of their teachers have been exceptional, and have been great at providing a variety of assignments and tasks for them, and I know my kids miss seeing them in person. Both kids have been using FaceTime regularly to “see” their friends, and that’s been a big help to them.
We’re into week 7 now of the clinic closure, and Saskatchewan has announced that chiropractors can return to work (with appropriate PPE in place) on May 4th, so my colleagues and I have been closely watching that situation. It is quite a helpless feeling to have the clinic closed, but my work team is having online meetings twice per week to stay in touch and keep our morale high.
I’m also keeping in touch with some of my patients via virtual or telephone consultations, and that’s been really helpful for me personally, as it’s given me a sense of purpose surrounding my work and a small feeling of being able to help my patients who are in pain. I am anxious to return to work, and hopeful with the trending numbers that Ontario is showing.
One initiative that I have just begun is hosting “Movement You”, which is a 10-minute workout, LIVE online on my Facebook and Instagram pages (search “Dr. Ashley Worobec”)- it’s a way for me to connect with my community and to encourage my patients to stay active and moving, which is something I believe passionately in.
Last Friday was the first time doing this, and it was a wild success, with my kids participating in the workout too. I plan on making this a weekly thing, every Friday at 11:45am, with movements that people can do easily in their living rooms.
A couple of other fun things we did this week:
 Virtual magic show for the relatives in Alberta 1. My kids put on a virtual magic show for our relatives in Alberta. I grew up in Alberta and my extended family is all still out West, so my kids are very used to using online platforms to talk to their grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. They looked up magic tricks on YouTube, practiced them, and then set up a little show. Their cousins and my parents loved it, and they were really proud of themselves.
2. We baked 5 dozen pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and then packaged them up and dropped them off on friend’s porches throughout the City, along with notes of support and encouragement.
3. We did a workout called “Heidi,” in honour of Constable Heidi Stevenson, who was tragically killed in the Nova Scotia shootings. I’m not sure who designed this workout, but this image has been circulating amongst the CrossFit community, and since my husband and I both go to a CrossFit gym, we jumped at this chance.
 A workout called “Heidi,” in honour of Constable Heidi Stevenson It’s common for CrossFit to have “named workouts” based upon First Responder’s killed in the line of duty, and since our gym has loaned us some gym equipment to use at home, we did this workout in our driveway on Saturday afternoon- it’s 23 air squats, 23 pushups, 23 kettlebell swings, 23 jumping lunges, 23 situps, and 23 box jumps, as many rounds as possible for 23 minutes. The number 23 honours the fact that she served with the RCMP for 23 years.
4. We watched the “Stronger Together” Covid-19 broadcast benefit on CTV on Sunday evening, and especially loved the montage of “Lean On Me” at the end.
~
 By Christopher Boyd
April 23rd, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The Gazette uses Malware to secure its web sites. There are any number of software applications that can be used – we found Malware to work well for us.
One of the added values is a newsletter they publish. In the most recent version they published a piece of just what “free” software is all about. Well worth reading.
It’s almost impossible not to rely on social networks in some way, whether for personal reasons or business. Sites such as LinkedIn continue to blur the line, increasing the amount of social function over time with features and services resembling less formal sites, such as Facebook. Can anyone imagine not relying on, of all things, Twitter to catch up on breaking coronavirus news around the world instantly? The trade off is your data, and how they profit from it.
Like it or not—and it’s entirely possibly it’s a big slab of “not”—these services are here to stay, and we may be “forced” to keep using them. Some of the privacy concerns that lead people to say, “Just stop using them” are well founded. The reality, however, is not quite so straightforward.
 For example, in many remote regions, Facebook or Twitter might be the only free Internet access people have. And with pockets of restriction on free press, social media often represents the only outlet for “truth” for some users. There are some areas where people can receive unlimited Facebook access when they top up their mobiles. If they’re working, they’ll almost always use Facebook Messenger or another social media chat tool to stay in touch rather than drain their SMS allowance.
Many of us can afford to walk away from these services; but just as many of us simply can’t consider it when there’s nothing else to take its place.
Mining for data (money) has never been so profitable.
But how did this come to be? In the early days of Facebook, it was hard to envision the platform being used to spread disinformation, assist in genocide, or sell user data to third-parties. We walk users through the social media business model and show how the inevitable happens: when a product is free, the commodity is you and your data.
Setting up social media shop
Often, Venture Capital backing is how a social network springs into life. This is where VC firms invest lots of money for promising-looking services/technology with the expectation they’ll make big money and gain a return on investment in the form of ownership stakes. When the company is bought out or goes public, it’s massive sacks of cash for everybody. (Well, that’s the dream. The reality is usually quite a bit more complicated).
It’s not exactly common for these high-risk gambles to pay off, and what often happens is the company never quite pops. They underperform, or key staff leave, and they expand a little too rapidly with the knock-on effect that the CEO suddenly has this massive service with millions of users and no sensible way to turn that user base into profit (and no way to retain order on a service rife with chaos).
At that point, they either muddle along, or they look to profit in other ways. That “other way” is almost always via user data. I mean, it’s all there, so why not? Here are just some of the methods social networks deploy to turn bums on seats into massive piles of cash.
Advertising on social media
This is the most obvious one, and a primary driver for online revenue for many a year. Social media platforms tend to benefit in a way other more traditional publishers cannot, and revenue streams appear to be quite healthy in terms of user-revenue generation.
Advertising is a straight-forward way for social media networks to not only make money from the data they’ve collected, but also create chains where external parties potentially dip into the same pool, too.
 That advertisement, beneath the headline, offering a free report is an example of an advertiser using the Google AdSense platform to put their advertisement in front of the audience they want. The Gazette earns a couple of pennies for each that someone clicks on. At its most basic, platforms can offer ad space to advertisers. Unlike traditional publishing, social media ads can be tailored to personalized data the social network sees you searching for, talking about, or liking daily. If you thought hitting “like” (or its equivalent) on a portal was simply a helpful thumbs up in the general direction of someone providing content, think again. It’s quite likely feeding data into the big pot of “These are the ads we should show this person.”
Not only is everything you punch into the social network (and your browser) up for grabs, but everything your colleagues and associates do too, tying you up in a neat little bow of social media profiling. All of it can then be mined to make associations and estimations, which will also feed back to ad units and, ultimately, profit.
Guesstimates are based on the interests of you, your family, your friends, and your friends’ friends, plus other demographic-specific clues, such as your job title, pictures of your home, travel experiences, cars, and marriage status. Likely all of these data points help the social network neatly estimate your income, another way to figure out which specific adverts to send your way.
After all, if they send you the wrong ads, they lose. If you’re not clicking through and popping a promo page, the advertisers aren’t really winning. All that ad investment is essentially going to waste unless you’re compelled to make use of it in some way.
Even selling your data to advertisers or other marketing firms could be on the table. Depending on terms of service, it’s entirely possible the social platforms you use can anonymise their treasure trove and sell it for top dollar to third parties. Even in cases where the data isn’t sold, simply having it out there is always a bit risky.
There have been many unrelated, non-social media instances where it turned out supposedly anonymous data, wasn’t. There are always people who can come along afterwards and piece it all together, and they don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to do it. All this before you consider social media sites/platforms with social components aren’t immune to the perils of theft, leakage, and data scraping.
As any cursory glance of a security news source will tell you, there’s an awful lot of rogue advertisers out there to offset the perfectly legitimate ones. Whether by purchase or stumbling upon data leaked online, scammers are happy to take social media data and tie it up in email/phone scams and additional fake promos. At that point, even data generated through theoretically legitimate means is being (mis)used in some way by unscrupulous individuals, which only harms the ad industry further.
Apps and ads
Moving from desktop to mobile is a smart move for social networks, and if they’re able to have you install an app, then so much the better (for them). Depending on the mobile platform, they may be able to glean additional information about sites, apps, services, and preferred functionalities, which wouldn’t necessarily be available if you simply used a mobile web browser.
If you browse for any length of time on a mobile device, you’ll almost certainly be familiar with endless pop-ups and push notifications telling you how much cooler and awesome the app version of site X or Y will be. You may also have experienced the nagging sensation that websites seem to degrade in functionality over time on mobile browsers.
Suddenly, the UI is a little worse. The text is tiny. Somehow, you can no longer find previously overt menu options. Certain types of content no longer display correctly or easily, even when it’s something as basic as a jpeg. Did the “Do you want to view this in the app?” popup reverse the positions of the “Yes” and “No” buttons from the last time you saw it? Are they trying to trick you into clicking the wrong thing? It’s hard to remember, isn’t it?
A cynic would say this is all par for the course, but this is something you’ve almost certainly experienced when trying to do anything in social land on a mobile minus an app.
Once you’re locked into said app, a brave new world appears in terms of intimately-detailed data collection and a huge selection of adverts to choose from. Some of them may lead to sponsored affiliate links, opening the data harvesting net still further, or lead to additional third-party downloads. Some of these may be on official platform stores, while others may sit on unofficial third-party websites with all the implied risk such a thing carries.
Even the setup of how apps work on the website proper can drive revenue. Facebook caught some heat back in 2008 for their $375USD developer fee. Simply having a mass of developers making apps for the platform—whether verified or not—generates data that a social network platform can make use of, then tie it back to their users.
It’s all your data, wheeling around in a tumble drier of analytics.
Payment for access/features
Gating access to websites behind paywalls is not particularly popular for the general public. Therefore, most sites with a social networking component will usually charge only for additional services, and those services might not even be directly related to the social networking bit.
LinkedIn is a great example of this: the social networking part is there for anybody to use because it makes all those hilariously bad road warrior lifestyle posts incredibly sticky, and humorous replies are often the way people first land on a profile proper. However, what you’re paying for is increased core functionality unrelated to the “Is this even real?” comedy posts elsewhere.
In social networking land, a non-payment gated approach was required for certain platforms. Orkut, for example, required a login to access any content. Some of the thinking there was that a gated community could keep the bad things out. In reality, when data theft worms started to spread, it just meant the attacks were contained within the walls and hit the gated communities with full force.
The knock-on effect of this was security researchers’ ability to analyse and tackle these threats was delayed because many of these services were either niche or specific to certain regions only. As a result, finding out about these attacks was often at the mercy of simply being informed by random people that “X was happening over in Y.”
These days, access is much more granular, and it’s up to users to display what they want, with additional content requiring you to be logged in to view.
Counting the cost
Of the three approaches listed above, payment/gating is one of the least popular techniques to encourage a revenue stream. Straight up traditional advertising isn’t as fancy as app/site/service integration, but it’s something pretty much anybody can use, which is handy for devs without the mobile know-how or funds available to help make it happen.
Even so, nothing quite compares to the flexibility provided by mobile apps, integrated advertising, and the potential for additional third-party installs. With the added boost to sticky installs via the pulling power of social media influencers, it’s possibly never been harder to resist clicking install for key demographics.
The most important question, then, turns out to be one of the most common: What are you getting in return for loading an app onto your phone?
It’s always been true for apps generally, and it’ll continue to be a key factor in social media mobile data mining for the foreseeable future. “You are the product” might be a bit long in the tooth at this point, but where social media is concerned, it’s absolutely accurate. How could the billions of people worldwide creating the entirety of the content posted be anything else?
By Pepper Parr
April 20th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone knows who the St. John Ambulance organization is – they are the people who give the First Aid course – or is that the Red Cross?
During this time of physical distancing, their Therapy Dogs of course cannot provide their usual canine comfort and care by visiting in person. However, they can still help break the sense of isolation and show the people we service how much we care, through ‘virtual visits’.
 Therapy dogs make the days of people who are in a long term care home when they visit. In mid-March, they set up a St. John Ambulance Digital Therapy Dogs YouTube channel and invited our volunteers to submit video ‘letters’ about their dog. This was a chance to show the activities the dogs like to do when not being a Therapy Dog, as well as express how much we miss the people we’d normally visit.
The response had been tremendous, with over a hundred videos already uploaded, with more to come. We sent the word out to facility recreation program staff, and they’ve been loving the videos very much! They play them on a large screen in some cases, or help residents watch them on a tablet or computer.
Some of our teams have also sent regular newsletters that are printed and shared, while others send their video directly to the home they visit, in addition to uploading it on the YouTube channel. The diversity of the ‘virtual visits’ is part of the magic – you can take a sunny walk with Buddy and Charlie at the beach, watch Harvey unroll his yoga mat, see Bailey play with Piper, laugh while Ken battles Victoria for the ball, and be smitten by Finn as he shares his talent for fashion.
Discover your favourite Therapy Dog by visiting the YouTube Channel CLICK HERE
With almost 2000 therapy dog teams in Ontario, serving over 3100 facilities across the Province the Therapy Dog Program reaches out to thousands of people on a daily basis, bringing comfort, joy and companionship to those who are sick, lonely and residing in full-time care facilities. Clients reap the therapeutic benefits of the unconditional love of these four-legged friends.
 Kids who need some distraction cab be taken away from their problems by playing with a therapy dog. “St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs offer assistance in programs for youth at risk, and help build self-esteem for those in correctional facilities. They can provide relief and a welcomed distraction to those waiting for radiation or chemotherapy treatment, and very sick children being treated in hospitals, as well as to people who are displaced and frightened during an emergency evacuation.
“And there is no doubt that people find it easier to express their deepest emotions and put into words their hopes and fears while hugging a dog, so we find our teams working with the Military, Police and Fire Departments, social workers, psychologist and psychiatrists to help victims of critical incident stress, crime, tragedy and abuse, overcome their challenges.”
 At almost every major public event – there is a St. John Ambulance on standby. St. John Ambulance offers a free on-line First Aid Awareness course to all Ontarians. In times of social distancing, accidents and injuries can still happen in the home or at the cottage. Right now, St. John Ambulance offers a free on-line course entitled: First Aid Awareness.
Their aim is to keep First Aid knowledge fresh in the minds of those who cannot take part in classroom training. Knowing what to do in an emergency can save someone’s life, and often, that life is someone you know and love.
 By Staff
April 16th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
At a time when parents are looking for ideas and small projects to keep their children active Burlington Green has put forward a neat idea – Put your Waste to Work.
They want to Up-Cycle cartons into bird feeders to help attract pollinators and encourage biodiversity right in your backyard.
 Burlington Green will demonstrate how to create bird feeders from old juice or milk cartons on Facebook Live. This event is suitable for ages 8+.
When: Thursday, April 16th at 2:00 pm via Facebook Live. To watch, follow the event live on the Burlington Green Facebook page.
Please register for this event here.
Missed the event? Not to worry! You can view the video on our Facebook page following the event.
 By Pepper Parr
April 14th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
 Premier Doug Ford – sweating out a very tough situation. During a media conference call hours ago, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that Ontario Schools would not be re-opening on May 4th and that the Minster of Education will be making an announcement on that matter in a few days.
The Premier added that the decision to not open the schools on the 4th “does not mean that the school year is lost”.
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